Fractured: A Collection of Drabbles
by Snea
Summary: Fractures of life now exposed. How does one cope? Formally titled Broken Pieces.
1. Broken Pieces

**76. Broken Pieces**

_excerpt from **Blackbird Rising** (by Snea)_

"What about me?! Where am I during all this?!" Terra asked, tears flashing in her eyes, voice breaking, temper flaring.

Zinthos watched her. And then, in the most graceful, _primal_ movement they'd seen her make, she pulled herself up to perch on the island counter. And it was suddenly realized that as young as she was, vulnerable as she seemed: _she was a threat_. If she'd had a tail, it would've been slowly flicking side-to-side across the frosted steel.

A red flag was raising itself and the others shifted behind their teammate. Zinthos regarded Terra with eyes full of haughtiness, as if she could care less what the older girl wanted to know. But there was a malevolence there that hid in the shadows of her eyes and caught the attention of Starfire, make a chill run up the redhead's spine.

"You're my sister." Terra flinched, going rigid with shock as she looked at the girl. The Titans watched in shock, a sense of uneasiness building in their stomachs as they glanced at each other. Something was going on here. In all the times the fourteen year-old had mentioned the future, she'd never mentioned Terra. And now the proverbial bomb was ticking as the red flag was torn to shreds in the wind.

"What?"

"You're my sister," Zinthos repeated, eyes going from haughty to defiant as her voice became hard and a British-like accent crept into it. "You're my sister. You're my daughter. You're remains below the earth." Her jaw tightened and her neck tensed, collar bones becoming prominent as she held back some kind of anger. "You're a haunting memory. One that changed my _world_. That's what you are Terra. _That's_ where you are!" And in a swift movement, the bomb went off.

And the Titans had no choice but to follow the path of a taut, trembling arm, down to the wrist, across the rigid finger that pointed out the window.

Out the window and towards the low mountain ridge that marked their horizon.

And in a voice, low and threatening, Zinthos continued. "That, _Tara __Markov_, is where you are. In _box_, _underneath_ a stone tablet, _eight feet_ below the surface; out of sight but never out of mind. Rejoice in it," they looked back at her sharply to find her glaring, eyes glowing with power and body flooded with a cold rage as she spat, "Because now you know where you are in my world, where you've been since before my _birth_, and yet you _still_ affect my every decision."

It was a predator's stance she fell into when she brutally pushed herself from the counter to step up to Terra, their faces inches away, horrified cobalt gaping at violent emerald-heliotrope. "Congratulations, Tara," she said, voice low and slick with hostility, "you got the attention you always wanted."

And then she left, leaving them to reel in the aftershock of the scene that had just played out before them. Left, as Terra sank to the floor and leaned over, crying hard, chest-heaving sobs, her hands over her face and tears streaming from between the fingers, hair fanned out on the surrounding floor like a crumpled curtain. The perfect likeness of a Nephilim, an angel fallen from grace...

...and the spirit to match. Notes

**A/N**: hello, faithful readers! I know I haven't gone and put any new chapters up for Blackbird Rising, but I felt the need to put this up for you guys. My computer is currently on lockdown as it has been for the better part of a month, delaying me finishing up and posting the next chapter to BR. So I've posting this instead. It's a pivotal point and I decided to submit it as one of my 100 Theme Challenge. So, I hope you enjoyed this! Check out **Blackbird Rising** for more info on what's going on. Bai!


	2. 67 Percent

**70. 67**

_...sixty-seven percent chance..._

He hated that phrase. It was the phrase that would forever haunt him until his dying day.

Hell, it _was_ his dying day.

That damn phrase that said he was going to die. That one day he'd be part of the ground he walked on, picnicked on, romped around on, did absolutely _everything_ on.

But it hadn't been bad. The shadows receded and light blossomed. For a while, everything was good. He'd been happy, even through the rough patches, content to live his life to the fullest with the others.

And then the Beast came, and brought the shadows back with him.

Damn Robin for wondering. Damn him for caring so much that he purposely did a background check. After all, it wasn't hard to after the Doom Patrol incident. Elastigirl had said his name after it was over, hugged him before retreating back to Mento's side and left him again. A small, broken child cast out on its own again.

But no. He'd been with his new family. His new team. And they cared about him just as much, if not _more_, than the Doom Patrol ever would.

That's why he was hurting so much now.

The waves had always given him a feeling of nostalgia. That's why he didn't hear him until he was standing just ahead of him and his boulder, on the edge of the shore with sea water and sand swirling around his feet.

"Sakutia."

He'd whispered it, looking down at the sand-water he stood in before gazing out over the waves.

He'd whispered it because he'd been apprehensive in approaching the younger teen behind him. Thought that maybe if he whispered it, here, out in front of the vast ocean, whose waves would shield and muffle the word...

...the "almost" accusation wouldn't be heard. And then he'd be able to write it off as Beast Boy not hearing him.

But that was stupid, because Beast Boy always heard him. Always heard everyone and everything, whether he wanted to or not.

And Beast Boy heard him this time.

He drew his legs up to his chest, sand making gathers around him, and leaned back against the rock, looking at Robin. Touchy as it was, this had been an impending confrontation.

Robin turned slightly to look at him. "Beast Boy...I..." He looked down, guilt welling up from his stomach, bitter and unneeded, but there all the same. "B.B., I looked up this..." He faltered again. "Ailment" was too soft, but "disease" made it final.

"Disease." Beast Boy supplied, still looking at him, arms around his legs and head resting on his knees.

"Disease," he repeated before continuing. "It said it was fatal to humans and only sixty-seven percent of the animals that contract it have a chance of surviving to adulthood." Robin looked at him. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" Beast Boy shrugged as Robin came to sit heavily next to him.

"What was the point? If you guys did or didn't know, it would still kill me. So why give you guys the extra burden of worrying when I'm going to die? I didn't want your pity when I met you all," he said, looking back at Robin, "just your acceptances." Robin turned back to scene in front of them, unable to hold the gaze. Beast Boy looked back at the waves too. Watched as they lapped the sand into valleys and mountains, while the breeze pushed through his hair like fingers, making him close his eyes briefly just to experience it.

He continued, "But then, down their in that lab with Adonis and the chemicals...it made me weaker. It was like a temporary sugar high just before the crash. Only the crash lasted too long and the high was more damaging. It messed with my DNA, like Cy said, making it more unstable." He shook his head, a sad chuckle escaping his lips. "I could always feel it if I changed before the accident, just the smallest touch of the end...death. When I was diagnosed, the only symptoms were for animals, and even then it was only a sixty-seven percent chance survival rate." This time he did laugh, bitterly.

"How were my parents supposed to save me? I was a human, not an animal in the bush. I was destined to die and there was nothing that could save me."

Robin looked at him. "So they found a way to make you...you?"

Beast Boy snorted. "A way to make a human animal enough to survive an animal's disease. That's what the university that sponsored their research said. A medical break through that could change field of medicine..." he drifted off, eyes going misty. Robin was just beginning to think Beast Boy was done when he continued. "I don't know if my parents refused to share their research in what they did to me or if was something else, but I know whatever they did to me got them killed. I remember when I was at their funeral, that I promised them I would live for the three of us.

"But now..." He looked at his leader with somber eyes.

"I don't have as long as I thought I did, Boy Wonder."

And then he was gone, floating over the waves and calling his seagull cry.

Leaving a robin sitting in the sand, with waves lapping its feet and wind in its grounded wings.

Both with a new respect for numbers and chances.

_fin_


End file.
